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Lindsay is the Sr. Director of eCommerce and Consumer Experience at Vega where she is responsible for the strategy behind creating a seamless experience for consumers of Vega. This includes brand website, eCommerce, email, social, online advertising, SEO, customer service, education and engagement. She is passionate about the customer journey and helping companies build consistency in experiences to create advocacy for their brand. Outside of work she can be found running around the seawall, on a mountain or on a soccer field.

As the Sr. Director of Consumer Experience + eCommerce at Vega, you’re leading a big part of the customer journey of a stellar brand. Where did your passion for focusing on customer and design start?

My love for the customer experience really started back in my first job and the realization that it took just a simple thing to make a customer happy. It wasn’t until after I graduated and started my first internship that I realized I could take this passion and build a career. Part of that internship was answering the phones and I made it my mission to ensure people, no matter how mad they were when they called, ended up with a smile on their face. From there I realized the importance of having that same experience no matter how you connected with a company and also how to make it easier for customers to reach out. I started spending all my free time researching and studying companies that were doing this well – Zappos, Warby Parker, Starbucks and that ultimately led me to Vega. Our focus at Vega is all about ensuring interactions with us are the best part of peoples day; to take the fear of reaching out to a company and make that something people enjoy. As the lines between online and offline blur and the path to purchase shortens, a focus on the total experience a customer has with your brand is crucial.

Sr. Director, this early on in your career, is a pretty outstanding accomplishment. For those striving to reach leadership roles within their organizations, what advice would you give?

1) Work Hard- I played a lot of sports growing up and the best advice I ever got was from my dad “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. This is something that has stuck with me throughout my career. Now this doesn’t mean that you have to be spending hours and hours at your desk. It is about working more efficiently, asking the right questions, always researching and upping your game.

2) Take risks – Don’t wait for people to give you opportunities, find them yourself, identify gaps, build a plan and go for it.

3) Put people first – at the end of the day we are a business but a business is only as good as the people you have working for it. Hire good people that are passionate and fit the culture, train the skills.

4) Build a solid team around you – goes hand in hand with the last point. A mentor of mine always said “hire people smarter than you” and it is so true. From there, don’t be afraid to delegate. This is something I struggled with early in my career but then quickly realized it allowed me to focus on more strategic projects and elevated the team as a whole. Win – Win.

5) Always be learning – spend time reading books and blogs. Find mentors (in your field or not) and learn from them.

Vega is all about clean, plant-based nutrition. Do you have a go-to fall recipe that fuels you?

Label me basic but I am all about pumpkin in the fall. I start each day with a smoothie so my go to as this fall weather takes over is a pumpkin smoothie. Add a banana, coconut milk, ice, pumpkin, nutmeg/cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice), Vega One Vanilla Chai and blend. Pumpkin pie in a glass for breakfast (although I have been known to just have a piece of pie).

We love the #BestLifeProject. What is your best life?

It can really be summed up in a few things: the outdoors, family, running, soccer and my career. I spend as much time as I can enjoying the outdoors which is what drew me to the west coast. I spent my childhood on the lake and it is still my favourite place in the world to be with my family. Our goal is to own a home on the lake one day where we will spend each morning on the dock before heading to work. I have a 1 year old son now so the weekends are filled with exploring this beautiful place and (hopefully) instilling that love for the outdoors in him. As long as I have a piece of all of those in my life (with some time for the occasional reality TV binge – now you can label me basic) my heart is happy.

What’s next for Lindsay? Are you currently chasing after any particularly audacious career and/or personal goals?

Personal – I am currently chasing a sub 1:40 half marathon. The other one is saving for that lake home that I mentioned previously.

Career – Continuing to build a consistent experience for Vega customers. Help other companies not only realize the importance of this but also know how to execute a plan to get them closer. Continuing to develop my knowledge and skills in other areas to move into a VP role.